Former US Open Champion Timothy Taylor presents a repertoire for White against the most popular opening in chess – the Sicilian Defence. Taylor's repertoire is based first and foremost on the Open Sicilian, which is regarded as White's most ambitious and challenging response to the Sicilian.

Dangerous Weapons is a series of opening books which supply the reader with an abundance of hard-hitting ideas to revitalize his or her opening repertoire.
In this book, three opening experts team up and take a contemporary look at the Ruy Lopez, one of the most popular chess openings. Instead of analysing the well-trodden main lines they concentrate on fresh or little-explored variations, selecting a wealth of ‘dangerous’ options for both colours. Whether playing White or Black, a study of this book will leave you confident and fully-armed, and your opponents running for cover!

In this book, David Vigorito examines the most theoretically important and instructive Grunfeld games, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Studying this book will provide you with vital information on a popular opening.

In this book, James Vigus examines the most theoretically important and instructive Pirc games since the publication of his highly acclaimed The Pirc in Black and White, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Studying this book will provide you with vital information on a popular opening.

Against most Sicilian variations, White's sharpest and often best weapon is queenside castling, a strategy that frequently leads to spectacular fireworks. Regrettably, these powerful charges have never been properly categorized. Until this book.In Sicilian Attacks, Grandmaster Yuri Yakovich, who has more than thirty years of experience with complex Sicilian systems, analyses the Najdorf, the Scheveningen, the Dragon, the Taimanov and the Richter-Rauzer Variations.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge.

SHOPWORN - The Four Knights Game A New Adventure in an Old Chess Opening

Catalog Code: SWB0108NIC

The Four Knights variation is one of the oldest chess openings, dating back to the 16th century. In recent years it has been injected with numerous fresh ideas and has shaken off the reputation of being a peaceful choice. White has quite a few ways to create tension and play for the attack.

SHOPWORN - A Cutting-Edge Gambit against the Queen’s Indian Hit the Nimzowitsch Variation with 6. d5!

Catalog Code: SWB0141NIC

The ultra-sharp pawn sacrifice 6.d5 has caused a revolution in the 4… Ba6 line of the Queen’s Indian Defence in recent years.
The ingenious gambit was hotly debated at the highest level by players like Alexey Shirov, for White, and Peter Leko, for Black. At club level it became a dangerous weapon for attackers.

The Ryder Gambit is a fun opening, one which gives rise to spectacular combinational possibilities. Even a player with limited experience can create a magnificent mating attack which can be shown to friends and kibbitzers and even published in local chess magazines. The fans of this opening are true lovers of this royal game and even if their enthusiasm is unjustified by objective analysis, it is nevertheless one of the joys of chess.

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is rarely seen at the chess master level but is popular and successful among amateur players. It was played by Grandmaster Efim Bogoljubow who played two matches for the World Chess Championship and who said "When I am white I win because I am white. When I am black I win because I am Bogoljubov.

In many conversations with chess players, it can be noted that there is a reluctance to answer 1. e4 with 1. . . . e5 based on an irrational fear of some deviations from the standard Spanish or Italian play.

This book provides a repertoire for Black with the ever-popular "Queen's Gambit Declined". Opening expert John Cox covers not one but two key options for Black. The Tartakower Variation is a sophisticated defence used successfully by world champions such as Kasparov, Karpov and Kramnik.

The Petroff Defence is anything but dull. Although it is a frequent choice of top grandmasters, club players often fear that it leads to passive play. This book will debunk this prejudice and open new vistas.

The Accelerated Dragon remains one of Black’s most popular choices in the Sicilian, and the attractions are obvious. Black’s opening strategy is easy to understand, and his pieces are quickly developed on active squares. Furthermore, White players hoping to attack in the same way as against the traditional Dragon will be shocked by the Accelerated Dragon’s greater flexibility and possibilities for a swift counterattack.

Are you looking for a way to outwit theory-sharks in the Open Sicilian? Then this may just be the book for you. The concept is simple: surprise your opponent with 5.f3, build up a strong pawn centre, avoid all of Black’s main lines and steamroll his Sicilian! Experienced grandmaster Sergey Kasparov presents a complete repertoire for White which has all the right features for ambitious and creative chess players:

Chess Developments provides state-of-the-art openings coverage. Chess Developments focuses on the current trends – concentrating on critical lines, theoretical novelties and powerful new ideas. It offers players of all levels the opportunity to keep up-to-date with current opening theory whilst also expanding and improving their repertoires.

Anyone who plays 1 e4 as White must be prepared not only for Blacks main defences but also an assortment of less popular lines. These, when taken together, represent a significant percentage of the replies you can expect to meet when opening 1 e4.

SHOPWORN - Attacking Chess - The French A Dynamic Repertoire For Black

Catalog Code: SWB0325EM

This will prove ideal for players who like to seize the initiative and cause problems for their opponents from the outset. Williams' recommendations in the French are based on his own repertoire which he has successfully employed at Grandmaster level.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practicing of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge.

Chess Developments is a brand new series providing state-of-the-art openings coverage. Chess Developments focuses on the current trends – concentrating on critical lines, theoretical novelties and powerful new ideas.

In this book David Vigorito focuses on all the critical Yugoslav Attack lines, examining the most important and instructive games in recent years and highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Vigorito is well known for his opening expertise and his lucid explanations of the main plans and tactics will benefit all players.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge.

The Ragozin Complex is a flexible and versatile chess opening system that, despite its popularity, rarely has been a subject of serious study in chess literature. A hybrid of the Queen's Gambit and the Nimzo-Indian Defence, the Ragozin featured in a famous book by Soviet theoretician Lipnitsky in the 1950s. Bobby Fischer decided to learn Russian to be able to read that work and immediately afterwards started playing the Ragozin.

This is a new series which provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practicing of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn.

This new series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge.

In many 1.d4 openings, Black has trouble getting his bishop on c8 into play. Former Russian Chess Champion Alexey Bezgodov presents a radical solution to this nagging problem; liberate your bishop right away and put it on f5 on the second move! Play 2...Bf5! against either 2.c4 or 2.Nf3 will surprise your opponent and is also a great way to support your development, because the bishop takes control of the important square e4.

Henry Bird's 1.f4 has become the choice of many players who wish to avoid the voluminous theory surrounding 1.e4, 1.d4 and even 1.c4. If Black plays passively then he is likely to find himself in an inferior line, especially if he allows a reversed Dutch defense. But there is an exciting alternative to the main lines - the From Gambit! With l...e5 Black makes it clear that he is willing to fight. The lines which arise often involve forced piece sacrifices for both sides, and knowledge of the middlegame ideas is critical.

Catalan, revised with recent games and new chess opening analysis by computer programs including Houdini. Since this book first came out the Catalan has been played with great success by World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and other grandmasters. This has necessitated this great expansion with new games and the latest chess computer

As noted in the foreward, this book is somewhat mis-titled: It should have been called "Understanding the Chess Openings". It certainly explains the reasons for the moves that it recommends, thereby aiding in understanding. However, some of the variations are out of date, which is not surprising for a reprint of a book decades old. Also, there are a number of openings that it does not cover. Still, overall, this is not a bad introduction to the openings.